Brazil underscores suspension of Venezuela at meeting with 16 countries

Foreign ministers of 16 South American and Caribbean countries met in

Published on 09/08/2017 - 11:34 By Heloisa Cristaldo reports from Agência Brasil - Brasília

The worsening situation in Venezuela was discussed again at a meeting of foreign ministers from 16 South American and Caribbean countries held in Lima, Peru, Tuesday (Aug. 8). Brazil's Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes underlined the reasons for the decision by MERCOSUR's founding countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) to suspend Venezuela from the bloc.

“The latest actions by the Government of Nicolás Maduro, such as the convening of a National Constituent Assembly, have unequivocally confirmed the establishment of a dictatorship in the country. The resort to arbitrariness was a violation of the letter and spirit of the Treaty of Asunción,” the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released to the press.

During the meeting, Minister Nunes also highlighted the decision of the prosecution services of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay to condemn the ousting of the prosecutor-general of Venezuela, Luísa Ortega, in what he considered “a blatant attack on the independence of the Venezuelan prosecution service.”

The Brazilian government, which currently holds the rotating presidency of MERCOSUR, has taken the opportunity to underscore the stance underlying the suspension of Venezuela, a decision made at a meeting in São Paulo on August 5, invoking the so-called “democratic clause” of the 1998 Ushuaia Protocol.

The move follows a legal sanction against Venezuela last year based on the Vienna Convention, for the country's alleged failure to comply with agreements and treaties signed when it joined MERCOSUR.

Since April, Venezuela has been swept by pro- and anti-government demonstrations which have often descended into violence, leaving more than 120 dead and over 1,000 injured.

Last Friday (4), the government of Nicolás Maduro swore in a new National Constituent Assembly, drawing criticism from other MERCOSUR members.

To make the situation worse, the Bolivarian National Guard, controlled by Maduro's government, blocked opposition lawmakers from entering parliament on Tuesday (8) after representatives of the National Constituent Assembly forced their way to take control of the building.


Translated by Mayra Borges


Fonte: Brazil underscores suspension of Venezuela at meeting with 16 countries

Edition: José Romildo

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